Contemporary Hunting in the Traditional Nature Management of the Udege and Nanai Peoples of the Southern Russian Far East

This paper analyzes the current state of hunting as one of the three main forms of traditional natural resource management among the Udege and Nanai peoples of Primorsky and Khabarovsky Krais, taking into account changes over the past 10-15 years. The study area encompasses three municipalities: the Pozharsky Municipal District of Primorsky Krai and the Imeni Lazo and Nanai Districts of Khabarovsky Krai. The study's results demonstrate that hunting has been and remains a primary form of traditional economic activity for the Udege and Nanai peoples, and for the Udege, it is part of their national identity. Over the past 20-25 years, the economic role of hunting has changed significantly, with a trend toward commercial hunting transitioning from a professional activity and primary source of income to a supplementary occupation and a source of ethnic food. This trend is least evident among the indigenous people of the Imeni Lazo District of Khabarovsky Krai. Changes in the status and economic significance of hunting for indigenous populations are driven by a combination of factors – from the country's fur harvesting system and procurement pricing policies to local socio-economic conditions. In conditions of the declining economic significance and profitability of hunting, an important task is to find alternative paths to the socio-economic development of indigenous populations. The most promising of these paths are the development of tourism and the creating of productions based on the abundant local resources of food and medicinal plants.